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Granite

Did you know granite is not a mineral? Granite can’t be called a mineral because it is a mixture of many other minerals. Specifically, granite is a felsic (contains a lot of feldspar and quartz) intrusive (used to be liquid underground and was pushed up) igneous rock (made from magma or lava that has cooled and solidified) with at least 20% quartz and up to 65% alkali feldspar by volume. Sometimes it contains plagioclase feldspar, muscovite, biotite, and hornblende-type amphiboles as well. Different ratios of all these minerals in the mixture are what create all of the different colors and varieties of granite. Phew! That was a lot of definitions. If you need me, I’m going to drive by the granite store in Grandview. They leave their big slabs outside so you can look at them at any time of day. I guess granite slabs are too heavy to steal.

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